Manifolding device



Jan. 11, 1938. J. A. B. SMITH MANIFOLDING DEVICE Original Filed April 22, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 11, 1938.

J. A. B. SMITH 2,104,953

MANIFOLDING DEVICE Original Filed April 22, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z l WE/nien or (lit eg Patented Jan. 11, 1938 U N T E D T FFICE MANIFOLDING DEVICE Original application April 22, 1933, Serial No.

667,324. Divided and this application September 5, 1935, Serial No. 39,239

11 Claims.

This invention relates to manifolding devices for typing machines, and particularly to improvements in a manifolding device of the character seen in Patent No. 1,801,496, to J. S. Fleming,

dated April 21, 1931.

In said Fleming device, carbons, used between the plies of a continuous work-web, extend in the form of tabs beyond the lateral edges of the work-web, the tabs being united by stitching, so

that the carbons are jointly holdable while the web is advanced relatively to the carbon-pack. The lengthened outer ply of carbon is folded up at the bottom to form a loop. Said loop co-operates wtih a stationary blade, in front of the platen and extends transversely of the pack, between the fold-forming plies, to hold the pack still when the work-web alone is to be advanced. After typing a set of work-forms, the web and carbon-pack are advanced together until the transverse loop of the pack strikes said blade. The blade is then, by means of the loop, enabled to hold the carbon-pack stationary while the web alone is further advanced to bring a fresh set of work-forms into register with the carbons and to also bring the typed set of forms beyond the carbons, so that they may be severed.

The carbon-arresting blade has heretofore been permanently fastened at each end to the back of a retaining bar mounted in proximity to the printing line of the platen. The blade was disposed in juxtaposition to the back of said retaining bar, being separated therefrom by just enough space to permit threading, upwardly through said space, of the outer one of the loopforming plies of the carbon-pack, together with any overlying ply of the work-web which may course through said space. The blade-retaining bar was cletachably mounted at its ends in the platen-frame, so that both the bar and the blade fastened thereto could be lifted out clear of the platen. It was necessary not only to thread the plies through said space, but to also lift the bar and attached blade away from the platen, to a convenient position, in order that threading might be done from the bottom of the space. After the threading operation, the bar and attached blade, with the plies threaded therebetween, had to be replaced with time-consuming care, to avoid buckling or scuffing of the threaded plies.

In threading plies coated with carbon through said space, the typists fingers are likely to become smudged. Moreover, since the space between the blade and the bar is constricted, as explained, the threading has to be done carefully, and hence it is not an operation that can be done with celerity. These disadvantages are particularly objectionable where, as in varying work routine, the typist must frequently take one web out of the machine and replace another web therein. Each web may be threaded as usual 6 into its individual carbon-pack, so that, when webs are changed, an additional interchange with respect to a common carbon-pack is avoided.

It is an object of the present invention to provide for ease and celerity in the removal from and introduction to the typing machine of a multiple-ply web preassembled with a Flemingtype carbon-pack.

To this end, a carbon-arresting blade is provided which may be readily withdrawn from the path of the composite web. A gap is left between the retaining bar and the platen so that a web and its carbon-pack, introduced in the usual way, at the back or intake side of the platen, may readily pass their leading edges through and beyond said gap. The outer one of the loopforming carbon-pack plies may be then temporarily held forward, to open the web for replacement of the carbon-arresting blade behind said outer ply, so that it may co-operate with the aforesaid loop. Thus there is no threading of web-plies through a narrow space. Yet, as heretofore, said blade may be close to the back of the retaining bar so as to compact the parts, and, furthermore, so that the retaining bar may aid 30 in minimizing the tendency of the loop-forming carbon-pack plies to slip around the blade when the web is being advanced while the pack is being held by said blade.

The blade-retaining bar may also serve as a web-severing knife which is another reason for keeping the blade close to said bar since the web-shearing operation is thereby facilitated.

In practicing the invention, the carbon-arresting blade, normally standing on edge in horizontal position, in front of the platen, is hinged at one end to the retaining or knife-bar at a point at the side of the web-path, to enable said blade to be withdrawn. A novel releasable catch is provided to hold the other end of the blade when the latter is in normal horizontal position. The blade, when released, may be swung about its hinge, laterally away from the web-path, preparatory to removing a web, or to introducing a web and carbon-pack through the gap between the blade-retaining bar and the platen.

The composite web, after its introduction around the platen, is opened for the replacement of the arresting blade by swinging the outer carbon-pack loop-forming leaf temporarily forward, whereupon the blade is swung back into position behind said leaf and held by the catch to lie in the path of the aforesaid loop.

The catch is arranged so that as the blade-end is seated therein the blade becomes automatically locked. The catch is further arranged so that a slight defiective movement of the locked bladeend, by means of a finger-piece on the blade, is suflicient to release the blade from the catch.

Inexpensive paper usually constitutes the continuous web-plies from which the typed forms are severed to serve as office records. These records may be duplicates of bills or statements sent out to customers. In order that the customer's bill-sheet may be of a better grade of paper, a separate sheet of paper is employed for the bill.

In order that the separate bill, for simultaneus typing with the record-web, may be quickly collated with said web, it is contrived to provide the carbon-pack itself with a collating gage against which the lower edge of the separate bill-sheet may be presented, the carbon-pack being gaged to collating position by means of its described loop and the aforesaid blade. The web-form may be collated relatively to the collated carbon-pack position either by means of an externalgage or by means of registering it with some convenient portion of the carbonpack. 1

The novel bill-collating gage on the web-supported carbon-pack may be in the form of a flange or ridge projecting fromthe face of the pack near the lower edge of the latter. To this end, there may be a strip having a longitudinal bend or fold. Theportion on one side 'of the strip-fold may be attached to the back of the inner loop-forming carbon-pack ply with the fold belowthe carbon-pack loop, so that the portion on the other side of the fold may jut forwardly to form the sheetgaging flange or ridge. The strip may, moreover, be made of resilient material, so that the bend or fold constitutes a hinge, whereby said forwardly-jutting gaging portion may be made to lie flat against the pack, when,

instead of a separate bill being used, the outer carbon-pack ply is interleaved with the web.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 667,324, filed April 22, 1933 ('now Patent No. 2,020,744, dated November 12, 1935). Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a platen-frame illustrating a web and carbon-pack in place, around the platen, and also showing the novel blade and retaining bar organization and the novel'collating gage on the web-riding pack.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross-section View through the platen, showing particularly how the sheet-collating gage may be folded against the pack when covered by an outer web-ply which may be used instead of the separate sheet.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side-section view throughthe blade-supporting bar to illustrate details of the blade-catch.

Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating how the web, positioned around the platen, may be opened between the loop-forming leaves for ready insertion between said leaves of the swingable carbon-pack-arresting blade.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the carbonpaok to illustrate the application of the novel sheet-collating gage thereto.

,, Figure 6 is a cross-section view through the procedure, when a web platen, showing how the carbon-pack is arrested by the abutment of its described loop with the blade and also showing how an outer bill-sheet may be collated by means of the novel gage provided on the carbon-pack.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the novel catch for the blade and shows particularly how the blade may be deflected for release from said catch.

The invention is illustrated in connection with an Underwood platen-frame which includes end plates I0 and a rear-insertion paper-table II. A platen-axle l2, journaled in the end plates Hl, carries a revoluble platen l3, against which types M strike. Co-operating with the platen are bottom feed-rolls I6 and I1.

Figure 1 shows a multiple-ply continuous workweb 9 in working position around the platen. Interleaved with individual plies 2B of the workweb I9 is a carbon-pack 2!, shown separately in Figure 5. Said carbon-pack 2| includes individual carbon-sheets 22, having at their lower portions lateral tabs 23; The two foremost plies 24 and 25 of the pack are connected at the bottom to form a loop 26 and only the inner ply 25 has the tabs 23 for union with the other sheets 22, all the tabs 23 at each side of the pack being 7 United by a row of stitching 21 which clears the side of the work-web l9 when the latter is threaded into the carbon-pack 2|. of the pack have their bottom edges folded for reenforcement as at 28. The lower edges of the carbon-pack have the overlapping arrangement seen in Figure 6, so as to facilitate introduction of the individual plies 20 of the work-web between the carbons.

The web J9 is threaded into the carbon-pack 2| before the web is introduced, from the rear, be-

tween the platen |3 and the paper-table H. The

leading edges of the composite web then. passing between the platen l3 and lower feed-rolls l6, IT, emerge at the front of the platen and continue upwardly to pass easily through a gap' formed between the platen and a web-severing knife-bar 30 extending parallel to the platen, above the printing line. Said bar 39 is secured at its ends to left and right brackets 3|, 52, formed as seen in Figure 1, for attachment to the platen-frame side-members ID by screws 33.

A carbon-pack-arresting blade 34 co-operates with the carbon-pack loop 26 to hold the carbonpack stationary when it is required to advance the Web l9 relatively to the pack as will be described- Said. blade'34 is hinged, at one end upon aheaded pivot 35 which may project rearwardly from a flange 36 of the right-hand bracket 32. As. seen in Figure 1, the outer loopforming ply 24 of the carbon-packpasses between the blade 34 and the knife-bar 30.

Instead of threading said outer ply 24 and any overlying ply of the work-web l9 through the narrow space between the'knife-bar 30 and carbon-arresting blade 34, a procedure is followed which, according to the present invention,

can be carried out with celerity and without anr According to'this new l9, threaded into the noyance to the operator.

The inner plies 22 described carbon-pack 2|, is to be introduced to r the platen-carriage, the blade 34 is first swung about its pivot 35 to the dotted-line position seen in Figure 1, so as to be out of. the web-path. When the composite web has been entered far enough so that its leading edges are through the gap between the knife-bar 30 and the platen, as in Figure 4, the Web may beopened up between theloop-forming plies 24 and 25 of the pack 2|, as seen in Figure 4, to permit the blade 34 to be easily returned to its horizontal position behind the knife-bar 30 and between the loop-forming carbon-pack plies 24 and 25. Thus, without any trouble, the outer loop-forming carbon-pack ply 24 and any overlying work-web ply are quickly disposed" in their course within the constricted space between the knife-bar 3B and the blade 34, so that the latter will be in the path of the carbon-pack loop 26.

- A novel catch for seating and releasably holding the swinging end of the blade 34 may be arranged on the left-hand bar-supporting bracket 3|. A flange 3! of said bracket 3| has at its upper edge a'flaring lip 38, Figure 7, which cooperates with a plate 39, also having a flaring upper edge or lip, to form a pocket 40, into which the swinging edge of the blade is easily entered by reason of the flaring lips. The plate 39 is fastened directly to the rear face of the bracketflange '31 by rivets'4l which also secure the left end of the knife-bar 30 to the front of said flange. The rear face of said bracket-flange 3'! is therefore jogged, as at 42, to form the pocketopening 40. The lower part of the flange is formed as seen in Figure '7 to form a seat 43 for the swinging end of the blade 34. Said seat 43 is formed by an indentation 443* of the flange. By said indentation there is also formed an upper edge 44, to which the jog 42 extends, and under which edge an extension 45 of the swinging end of the blade 34 is forced when said swinging end strikes the seat 43. The blade 34 is thus locked against unintentional upward displacement.

For automatically forcing the b1ade-extension 45 under the holding edge 44 when the blade strikes said seat 43, the bracket-flange 31 carries a spring 41 secured by a rivet 48 to said flange which is accordingly formed as best seen in Figure 7. The upper portion of said spring has a nose 54 which lies sufficiently in the path of the swinging blade-end to force the latter under the locking edge 44 when the blade rests on the seat 43. As seen in Figure '7, said nose flares rearwardly out of the path of said blade-end extension. so as to yield to the passage of said extension 45 until the latter enters the recess formed between the seat 43 and the locking edge 44.. The spring 41 then forces said blade-end extension into said recess which, as seen in Figure 3, is also delimited by the knife-bar 39.

The blade-end extension 45 is, as seen in Figure '7, part of a finger-piece 52 secured to the blade by rivets 53. By means of. said fingerpiece 52, the blade, at its extension 45, may be pressed rearwardly to overcome the spring 4! and free the blade from the locking edge 44 when said blade is to be swung to the dotted-line position, Figure 1.

A separate bill-sheet 55, Figure 6, is readily collated with the work-web by means of a novel gage incorporated in the described carbon-pack 2 In its preferred form, said gage is a strip 58 having a longitudinal bend or fold 59. As indicated in Figure 6, a strip-portion 60, on one side of the fold 59, is fastened to the rear surface, above the loop 26, of the inner loop-forming ply 25. A strip-portion Bl on the other side of'the fold 59 may jut forwardly, as in Figure 6, to serve as a gage for collating the bill-sheet 55.

The sheet-gaging strip 58 may be of flexible resilient material, such as stiff paper. The paper being flexible, the bend or fold 59 acts as a hinge for the forwardly-jutting gage-portion Bl, so that the latter may be folded against the underlying carbon-ply 24. Figure 2 shows said gageportion 6! thus folded against said carbon-ply 24 as when an outer ply 2|] of said web overlies said carbon-ply 24 and hence said gage-portion 3 l. The gaging strip 58 being resilient, the gageportion 6! tends to spring outwardly when there is no overlying work web or ply and a separate bill-sheet 55 may therefore be readily presented to said gage-portion. By reason of its flexibility, the gageportion 6| may also readily pass be tween the feed-rolls "5, I1 and the platen l3. The resiliency of the strip 58 causes said gageportion 6| to jut forwardly, after passing the lower feed-rolls l6, in the advance of. the web. As shown in Figure 6, the composite web has been advanced to the position in which the carbon-pack, by means of its loop 26, is arrested by the blade 34. The gage-portion Bl, jutting forwardly because of its resiliency, has, by such advance of the composite web, been caused to underlie the blade-retaining bar 35, instead of passing behind said bar. It is clear that the strip 58 re-enforces the loop 26 in its co-operation with the blade 34.

The gage-portion Bl need not by its resiliency alone spring completely to the Figure 6 position. It will be evident that a substantially less outward jutting of said gage-portion 6|, after the latter passes the feed-roll IE, will cause the leading edge of said gage-portion to be intercepted by the lower edge of the blade-retaining bar in such manner that said gage-portion will be cammed or deflected by said bar 30 to the Figure 6 position. It will be understood that, the bar 30 and blade 34 being relatively positioned as shown, the gage-portion 6| is deflected by said bar 39 in order that the carbon-pack may be advanced sufliciently for its loop 26 to be engaged by said blade 34. It will be further understood therefore that said gage-portion Bl may function as a sheet-gage on the carbon-pack, in the absence of said bar 30.

The gage-strip 58 may, as shown in Figure 5, have its ends 5'! included in the lateral stitching 21, so as to be secured to the carbon-pack. The portion 60 of said gage-strip 58 may be additionally secured to the back portion of the loop 26, as by gumming or by other transverse stitching. Figure 6 shows how an extra bill-sheet 55 may be collated by presentation against the gageportion 6| which is in collating position when the carbon-pack carrying said gage-portion 6| is arrested by the blade 34. The new set of workforms on the work-web is advanced to position for collation with the bill-sheet 55, said position being gaged by bringing the tops of said new work-forms just above the top of the bladearrested carbon-pack, as shown in Figure 6, in which said work-form tops are represented by the marks 53;

The marks 63, Figure 6, also represent the location of the lines along which the typed forms 20 may be severed. Preparatory to the severing operation, the work-web, having been advanced relatively to the carbon-pack, is together with said pack and extra bill-sheet 55 retracted by rotating the platen backward until the lines 53 coincide with the top or shearing edge of the knife-bar 30. To insure their joint retraction the web, carbon-pack, and bill-sheet may be jointly gripped by the operators hand until the lower feed-rolls engage said pack and bill-sheet.

The knife-bar 39 is secured to the right-hand V 24 and 25.

For guiding the work-web there may be at the rear of the platen-frame, at each side of the Web, a guide 66, Figure 1, adjustable along a cross-rod 61 mounted in brackets 68 of the platenframe. 7

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. A carbon-pack having a plurality of carbons joined at their lateral sides to ride a continuous work-web whose plies are threaded between adjacent carbons while several lines of the work web are being typed, the carbon at the face of the pack being folded transversely to form a loop co-operative with a stop blade mounted adjacent a typewriter-platen above the printing point for arresting the pack, and a gage on said pack for collating a separate superposed worka piece with the work-web, said gage being in the form of a transverse strip of flexible and resilient materialsec'ured to the pack in juxtaposition to the back of said loop, said strip, in the direction of its narrow dimension, overlapping the bottom of said loop so as to be foldable around the loop to project'outwardly'from the face of the pack to form a stop-flange against which the lower'edge of said work-piece is stoppable for collating said work-piece. 7

21A carbon-pack having a plurality of carbons joined at their lateral sides to ride a continuouswork-web whose plies are threaded between adjacent carbons while several lines of the workweb are being typed, the carbon at the face of the pack being folded transversely to form a loop co-operative with a stop blade mounted adjacent a typewriter-platen above the printing point for arresting'the pack, and a gage on said pack for collating a separate superposed workpiece with the work-web, said gage being in the form of a flexible and resilient strip having a fold extending longitudinally, said strip being secured to said pack so that the portion on one side of its longitudinal fold is behind said loop, the portion'of the strip on the other side of its longitudinal fold jutting forwardly from the face of the pack'to form a gaging flange against which the lower edge .of said separate work-piece is stoppable for collating said work-piece.

3. A carbon-pack having a 'pluralityfof carbons' joined at their lateral sides to ride a continuous work-web whose plies are threaded between adjacent carbons while several lines of the work-web are being typed, the carbon at the face of'the pack being folded transversely to form a loop (Jo-operative with a stop blade mounted adjacent atypewriter-platen above'the printing point for arresting the pack, and a gage on said pack for collating a separate superposed workpiece with the work-web, said gage being in the form of a flexible and resilient strip having a fold extending longitudinally, said strip being secured 'of the strip on the other side of its longitudinal fold jutting forwardly from the face of the pack to form a gaging flange against'which the lower,

edge of said separate work-piece is stoppable, the fold of said strip being contiguous to thebot tom of saidloop, and said strip thereby re-enforcing said loop in its co-operation with said blade.

4. A carbon-pack having a plurality of carbons-joined at their lateral sides to ride a continuous work-web whose plies are threaded between adjacent carbons while several lines of the work-web are being typed, the carbon at the face of the pack being folded transversely'to form a loop co-operative with a stop blade mounted adjacent a typewriter-platen above the printing point for arresting the pack, and a gage on said pack for collating a separate superposed workpiece with the work-web, said gage being in the form of a strip having a fold extending longitudinally, said strip being secured to said pack so that the portion on one side of its longitudinal'fold is behind said loop, the portion of the strip on the other side of its longitudinal fold jutting forwardly from the face of the pack to form a gaging'flangeagainst which the lower edge of said separate work-piece is stoppable, said'strip being made of flexible, resilient material so that said fold acts as a hinge whereby the forwardly-jutting gage-portion may be made to lie close to the face of the pack.

5. A carbon-pack having a plurality of conventionally thin carbons joined at their lateral sides to ride a continuous work-web threaded between adjacent carbons while several lines of the work-web are being typed, the carbon at the faceof the packbeing folded transversely and doubled to form two carbon-plies and a loop that is co-operative with a stop blade mounted adjacent a typewriter-platen above the printing point placeable transversely between said carbonplies 'for arresting the pack relatively to workweb shifts, and a transverse loop-re-enforcing strip of flexible and'resilient material, such as paper, substantially stronger and stiffer than the conventionally thin carbon, said strip being longitudinally creased and folded to substantially enfold said carbon-loop and have its crease substantially coincident 'with the turn of said carbon-loop, the strip, on one side of its crease, being fastened, longitudinally, against and behind the back carbon-loop-forming ply, whereby tearing of the thin-carbon loop or slipping thereof around said blade,'at work-web shifts, is prevented. a V

6. A carbon-pack constructed according to claim 5, the portion of the strip on the other 'side of its crease'being left unattached to the at their lateral sides to ride'a continuous workweb threaded between said carbon-plies, and a transverse strip of flexible resilient material, such as paper, substantially stronger and stiifer'than the thin carbons, said strip bcine' creased longitudinally to form a fold to co-operate with a transverse stop blade, contiguous tothe platenfront, for arresting the carbon-pack, above the front of the platen, relatively to work-Web shifts, said strip having its portion, on one side of the crease, fastened longitudinally to and near the bottom of the outer carbon-ply, so that the other and unfastened portion of the strip is folded upwardly by the crease to constitute a hook opposable by said blade, said fold or crease enabling said hook-portion to be compacted, against said pack and work-web, by and for free passage of the work-web and carbon-pack between said platen and contiguous paper-feed devices.

8. A carbon-pack having, in combination, a plurality of carbon-plies joined at their lateral sides to ride a work-web threaded between adjacent carbons while several lines of the work-web are being typed, a flap or transverse strip attached to the bottom of the outermost carbonply to form with the lower margin of the latter a pocket opposable by a stop blade mounted adjacent a typewriter-platen above the printing point to arrest the carbon-pack relatively to work-web shifts, and a guide-leaf attached at its lower edge to the carbon-pack and within said pocket and partitioning the latter into one division to receive said blade and into another division to receive, guide and gage the bottom edge of a separate work-piece for collating the latter relatively to said carbon-pack.

9. A manifolding device for use on typewriters in co-operation with continuous manifolding paper sheets and settable for repeated use on fresh portions of the manifolding paper sheets by means including a stop mounted on the typewriter, comprising in combination a plurality of transfer sheets in superposed relation, said transfer sheets stitched together at the opposite outer lateral edges and well below the tops of said sheets so as to permit threading of manifolding paper sheets between the stitched edges of the transfer sheets, said transfer sheets being freely separable from each other at the tops, another transfer sheet secured at the bottom to the bottom of the front transfer sheet, and a strip secured to the bottom of the front transfer sheet, underlying said other transfer sheet and having a part normally projecting forwardly to intercept the stop on the typewriter and to form a support for an original paper sheet, but flexible to a flat position in parallel with the transfer sheets, whereby the manifolding paper sheets may be fed upwardly in advance of the transfer sheets in order to position the manifolding paper sheets in a fresh position with reference to the transfer sheets.

10. A manifolding device for use on typewriters in co-operation with continuous manifolding paper sheets and settable for repeated use on fresh portions of the manifolding paper sheets by means including a stop mounted on the typewriter, comprising in combination a plurality of transfer sheets in superposed relation, said transfer sheets stitched together at the opposite outer lateral edges and well below the tops of said sheets so as to permit threading of manifolding paper sheets between the stitched edges of the transfer sheets, said transfer sheets being freely separable from each other at the tops, another transfer sheet secured at the bottom to the bottom of the front transfer sheet, and a strip secured to the bottom of the front transfer sheet, underlying said other transfer sheet and having a part normally projecting forwardly to intercept the stop on the typewriter and to form a support for an original paper sheet, but flexible upwardly along a line coincident with the bottoms of the transfer sheets to a flat position in parallel with the transfer sheets, whereby the manifolding paper sheets may be fed upwardly in advance of the transfer sheets in order to position the manifolding paper sheets in a fresh position with reference to the transfer sheets.

11. A manifolding device for use on typewriters in co-operation with continuous manifolding paper sheets and settable for repeated use on fresh portions of the manifolding paper sheets by means including a stop mounted on the typewriter, comprising in combination a plurality of transfer sheets in superposed relation, said transfer sheets stitched together at the opposite outer latera edges and well below the tops of said sheets so as to permit threading of manifolding paper sheets between the stitched edges of the transfer sheets, said transfer sheets being freely separable from each other at the tops, another transfer sheet secured at the bottom to the bottom of the front transfer sheet, and a strip secured to the bottom of the front transfer sheet, underlying said other transfer sheet and having a part normally projecting forwardly to intercept the stop on the typewriter and to form a support for an original paper sheet, but flexible upwardly along a line coincident with the bottoms of the transfer sheets to a fiat position in parallel with the transfer sheets, the strip extending entirely across the bottoms of the transfer sheets whereby the manifolding paper sheets may be fed upwardly in advance of the transfer sheets in order to position the manifolding paper sheets in a fresh position with reference to the transfer sheets.

JESSE A. B. SIVHTH. 

